Debate with the Original Name

Some are of the opinion that Mumbai, in fact, is the original name that is derived from ‘Mumba’ (from Goddess Mumbadevi), and ‘aai’ (in Marathi, it means ‘mother).

Others hold a different opinion—they say that when the Portuguese took over in 1626, they named it ‘Bom Bahia.’ That means ‘good bay’. Later, the British Anglicized ‘Bom Bahia’ to ‘Bombay’.

In 1995, though the name was changed to ‘Mumbai’ from ‘Bombay’, still people who do not actually belong from Maharashtra are often heard using ‘Bombay’. The Marathis call their city ‘Aamchi Mumbai’, meaning ‘our Mumbai’.

Going back 500 Years and More

The Bandra-Worli Sea Link with the skyline of Mumbai in background. Image credit Devang.

Mumbai was earlier known as ‘Bombay’. Though initially built on foundations that were weak, this city has been growing for the last 500 years or so.

At the beginning, it was nothing but a conglomeration of 7 islands covered and separated by swamps. In the 2nd century BCE, the Koli fisher folks had inhabited these islands (Even now, one can get a glimpse of their culture along the shorelines).

Then the islands saw a succession of Hindu dynasties between the 6th century and 14th century ACE, when the Sultans of Gujarat annexed their kingdom.

Then the Portuguese came for the purpose of trade. In 1534 they set up their factory here by taking over these islands.

Under the Portuguese, trade flourished and around 1626, along with the locals, they started trading of onyx, rice, tobacco, silk, cotton, chintz, and muslin.

When Catherine of Braganza married England’s Charles II in 1661, the Portuguese gave these islands as a dowry. The word ‘Dowry’ means ‘gift given by bride’s father to the groom’.

Thereafter, in 1665, the British Government took over the possession. But because Charles II did not want to rule here (due to unhealthy climate!), the islands were leased out to the East India Company after three years.

Within the next 20 years, the presidency of the East India Company transferred from Surat (in Gujarat) to Bombay.

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East India Company transformed Bombay

In a span of few years, the East India Company transformed Bombay. It was a deep water port, which enabled the large ships to be docked.

Gerald Aungier, the then Governor, got a customs house, warehouses, quay, fort, and port built here. Also, soldiers were appointed for protection against pirates and Dutch fleet of ships.

Aungier was supported by the Company to get a new city built—the Plan of London was sent to him that was to be followed.

With the ‘go ahead’, Aungier gave the order to build causeways (to link the 7 islands) and church. His order included the mint (for making coins), hospital, and a huge castle—in general. All that is required for a living.

With time, people from Britain and other Indian communities came to settle in Bombay. To protect the people, the Company had recruited 1,500 British and local soldiers.

Bombay’s population was about 60,000 by 1675; not only this, Bombay was made the Company’s headquarters from 1687 to 1708.

During this period, in 1688, the English captured 14 Mughal ships (after a conflict) and a fleet of barges, and kept them at the Bombay harbor.

Conflicts with the Mughal rulers kept on, and finally in 1689, peace was sought for by the English. Meanwhile, plantations and houses were destroyed, many people lost their lives, and Bombay was literally in a state of ruin.

Bombay Grew again and became the ‘Gateway of India’

By end 1700s, Bombay grew again, and became the ‘Gateway of India’. This time, the Company built the ‘Bombay Marine’ (later changed to the Indian Navy) to bring some peace to India’s western coast.

Skilled people—goldsmiths, weavers, merchants, iron-smiths, money-lenders, servants, planters—from other parts of India again started moving to Bombay and settling there.

Then came a major industry—Ship Building—around 1730s. This created tremendous employment opportunities. People rushed to Bombay without giving it a second thought.

Seven islands were cleared of swamps by 1845. One large island was formed. This big island was joined with Salsette (a neighboring island) to form ‘Greater Bombay’. The first Indian Railway (Bombay to Thane) opened in 1853.

It was followed by the first Indian Cotton Mill in 1854. People started pouring in, and in no time, the population reached to 816,562 by 1864. Bombay started spreading beyond the islands!

Mumbai—Now

Mumbai is one of the most populated cities in the world. It is the business capital of India and home to more than 13,000,000 people.

It has been growing very rapidly the last twenty or so years.

Migrants to Mumbai from outside Maharashtra during the 1991–2001 decade was 1.12 million. That amounted to 54.8% of the net addition to the population of Mumbai.

Another view of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link is a cable-stayed bridge that connects central Mumbai with its western suburbs. Notice the air pollution, which is similar to its sister city Los Angeles, where it is called smog.

In 2011, the population of Mumbai city was 12,478,447. When including the metropolitan area it was 20,748,395!

It is still growing according to indiaonlinepages.com which shows the 2012 city population as 13,000,000.

To manage the city well, Mumbai is divided into several areas

Mumbai Areas – Part 1

North Mumbai includes Manori, Jogeshwari, Malad, Borivali, Gorai, Mira Road, Bhyander, Naigaon, Vasai, Nala Sopara, and Virar. The sea beaches are quite clean; The Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the oldest heritage sites—Kanheri, Mahakali, Jogeshwari, and Mandapeshwar—are located here. The rock-cut temples date between 1st century BCE and 5th century ACE. Also, this area (Gorai) is the home to Vipasana Pagoda and Essel World.

North Central Mumbai that includes Dharavi, Matunga, Vadala, Sion, and Mahim. Asia’s second largest slum is in Dharavi. Otherwise, these are upper middle class areas.

South Mumbai includes Fort, Colaba, Malabar Hill, Nariman Point, Marine Lines, and Tardeo. Being the oldest area, it has the richest neighborhoods and highest property rates. These places are also prime tourist locations. Upscale restaurants, bars, art galleries, museums, luxury retail brands—all are found here. Even the ‘Gateway of India’, built in 1911 to commemorate the visit of King George V in India, is situated here.

South Central Mumbai includes Byculla, Parel, Worli, Prabhadevi, and Dadar. White-collar offices, the zoological garden, temple of the city’s main deity, and the famous Worli sea face are located here.

Mumbai Areas – Part 2

West Mumbai that includes Bandra, Khar, Santa Cruz, Juhu, Vile Parle, Andheri, and Versova. With peaceful surroundings, few good beaches are here. These areas house Christian community in majority, and hence, Mumbai’s most famous church is located here. Also, the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and Santa Cruz Domestic Airport are here.

Harbour Suburbs that include Chembur, Mankhurd, Govandi, and Trombay. Earlier, this area was famous for atomic research center. Now it is known for the ‘way’ to Navi Mumbai (here, ‘Navi’ means ‘new’), a satellite town of Mumbai.

Western and Central, named after the Western and Central Railways with their headquarters in Mumbai. The ‘Harbor Line’ connects the harbor areas (as a ‘feeder’) to the Western and Central lines. It also connected Mumbai’s Northeastern suburbs to Navi Mumbai.

East and West wherein ‘East’ means the east of the railway line, and ‘West’ mean the west of the railway line. Many places in Mumbai are marked with (E) or (W); now you know what it can mean.

The Mumbai suburbs are divided into:

Mumbai Downtown at night, Photo credit Nikkul

Western and Central, named after the Western and Central Railways with their headquarters in Mumbai. The ‘Harbor Line’ connects the harbor areas (as a ‘feeder’) to the Western and Central lines. It also connected Mumbai’s Northeastern suburbs to Navi Mumbai.

East and West wherein ‘East’ means the east of the railway line, and ‘West’ mean the west of the railway line. Many places in Mumbai are marked with (E) or (W); now you know what it can mean.

Mumbai is very well connected by road, and rail within India, and by air from any place in the world.

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Religion

There are several religions represented in Mumbai which include Hindus (67.39%), Muslims (18.56%), Buddhists (5.22%), Jains (3.99%), Christians (4.2%), Sikhs (0.58%), with Parsis and Jews making up the rest of the population.

The linguistic/ethnic demographics are: Maharashtrians (42%), Gujaratis (19%), with the rest coming from other parts of India.

Native Christians include East Indian (ethnic group) Catholics who were converted by the Portuguese, during the 18th and 19th century.

The city also has a small native Bene Israeli Jewish community, who migrated from the Persian Gulf or Yemen, probably around 1600 years ago.

Mumbai is also home to the largest population of Parsi Zoroastrians in the world, numbering about 80,000.

Climate

Summer, monsoon, and winter are the three main seasons in Mumbai. Winter (November to February) is the best season for visiting this city.

Summer is roughly from March to May, and is very humid; monsoon starts from June till September/October.

It is not the season to visit Mumbai as it gets flooded due to heavy rains, and the normal life gets thoroughly disrupted.

Mumbai’s Main Attractions

The Gateway of India – It is one of the major tourist places that attract tourists both from India and the world.

Fashion Street – It is all about latest and current fashion trends, be it clothes, jewelries, bags, shoes, and the likes.

Film City – famous as ‘Bollywood’, it is located near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

Juhu Beach – It is one of the most famous beaches on the Arabian Sea.

Mumbai Suburban Railway system carries more than 6.99 million commuters on a daily basis. It has the highest passenger densities of any urban railway system in the world.

Marine Drive – It is a natural bay, and has a ‘C’-shaped six-lane concrete road along the coast.

Chowpatti – It is the most famous public beach on the Arabian Sea.

Elephanta Caves – It is a beautiful island with amazing sculpted caves.

Hanging Garden – Located atop Malabar Hills, it is also known as Ferozshah Mehta Garden.

Essel World – It is India’s first amusement park with a variety of rides.

Siddhivinayaka Temple – It is a very famous temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha.

Haji Ali Mosque – It is a very ancient mosque.

Other than the above, there are many other interesting places to see in Mumbai, if one has got the time in hand.

A Sister City Comparison

Mumbai has several sister cities, one of which is Los Angeles, California USA. This is just about an hour away from Travellistics administrator so I am using it as a comparison. Both cities are located at or very near the water. Just comparing these two famous cities for population, size, and density we have the following:

Area – Mumbai

Mumbai is the largest metropolitan region in India.

City 603 km2 (233 sq mi)

Metro 4,355 km2 (1,681.5 sq mi)

Elevation 14 m (46 ft)

Population (2011)

City 12,478,447

Rank 1st

Density 20,694/km2 (53,600/sq mi)

Metro 18,414,288

Metro rank 1st

Metropolitan 20,748,395 (2nd)

Area – Los Angeles (LA)

Los Angeles is the 2nd largest metropolitan region in the USA.

City 503 sq mi (1,302 km2)

Land 469 sq mi (1,214 km2)

Water 34 sq mi (88 km2) 6.7%

Elevation 233 (city hall) ft (71 m)

Population (2010)

City 3,792,621

Rank (2nd US, 48th World)

Density 8,092/sq mi (3,124/km2)

Metro 12,828,837

CSA 17,786,419

Mumbai vs Los Angeles

One can see there is a big difference in the population density of the two cities. There are far more people living in the same area in Mumbai compared to Los Angeles – 53,600 per sq. mile in Mumbai vs. only 8,092 per sq. mile in LA. However, Los Angeles is over twice as large in area as Mumbai. The metro area of Los Angeles is 17.78 million compared to Mumbai’s 20.7 million.

Skyline of Mumbai during the day. Image credit: Rakeshpate.

In the U.S. there is a Combined Statistical Area (CSA) of which LA belongs to, which is the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside CSA.

This is a huge area which includes San Bernardino County, which itself is about 50,000 sq. Miles, and also includes a significant part of the Las Vegas Nevada area. There are several large cities and many suburbs in this area which adds about another 5 million people to the metro area, 4 million of which are relatively close to Los Angeles.

Have you been to Mumbai? If so, add your insights below about this interesting travel destination.

Of course one has to realize Mumbai is far older than Los Angeles and has a totally different geography, people, and history associated with it. So this comparison is of limited value, but is interesting to note these differences in two famous coastal cities.

Once you visit Mumbai and take in the interesting sights, sounds, and activities there, do consider visiting its sister city, Los Angeles, the “City of Angels”, as one of the other interesting travel destinations on a future trip.